Christian de Portzamparc plans Casarts Theater in Casablanca, Morocco, a bold, dynamic design that was the winning entry of an international competition. Photo: ©Christian de portzamparc (ACDP)
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* ‘Casarts’, scheduled to open its doors to the public in 2016 in Casablanca, will be the largest theater in Africa. *
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Design Boom Architecture (March 1, 2014) — Christian de Portzamparc has revealed plans for ‘Casarts’ in Casablanca, Morocco, a project which will become the largest theater in Africa. Situated on place Mohammed V, a popular urban plaza, the design is the winning entry of an international competition that took place in 2009. The brief called for a scheme which reinvigorated and breathed new life into the vast square, a bold and dynamic proposal juxtaposing the plaza’s classical composition.
The theater will host musical concerts, plays and a range of performance based art. Illustration: christian de portzamparc (ACDP)
The centerpiece of the design is an 18,000 seat hall hosting musical concerts and theatrical plays. The expansive volume reinterprets the shape of an opera hall, allowing the public to congregate around the stage through a series of fan-shaped balconies. The building also houses a smaller 600 seat theater and public rehearsal rooms in addition to an art gallery, a host of retail and dining outlets and a library.
Elevated circulation routes traverse the voids providing views across the complex below. Photo: christian de portzamparc (ACDP)
The façade’s external skin is a brilliant white, illuminating the square at all times of the day. Envisioned as a series of detached units, the fluid structure presents inviting apertures offering visitors glimpses of internal volumes. Internally, shaded passages are carved from the unit’s mass, connecting the complex, while elevated circulation routes traverse these voids providing views across the complex below. ‘Casarts’ is scheduled to open its doors to the public in 2016.
‘Casarts’, with its concert hall, is scheduled to open its doors to the public in 2016. Illustration: christian de portzamparc (ACDP)
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The approach to the vast complex on Place Mohammed V in Casablanca. Illustration: christian de portzamparc (ACDP)
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